ESPN kicks off the 2014 NFL Draft presented by Bud Light – the network’s 35th consecutive NFL Draft telecast – on Thursday, May 8, at 8 p.m. ET from New York City’s Radio City Music Hall. Round 1 will be televised live, in prime time with limited commercial interruption in the first hour for the third consecutive year. What to watch for:

Production

42.5 hours of original NFL Draft-related programming from May 5-11, including 16 hours of the live NFL Draft telecast; NFL Live and NFL Insiders (including shows from Radio City); episodes of Draft Academy and Gruden’s QB Camp, and SportsCenter Special: on the Clock, SportsCenter Special: Draft Countdown and SportsCenter Special: Draft Grades shows;

Thursday (Round 1): Ray Lewis, new to ESPN’s NFL Draft commentator team, joins host Chris Berman, in his 34th year covering the event, and fellow analysts Jon Gruden and Mel Kiper Jr., in his 31st year, at the main set for round 1. NFL Insiders Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter will report from an additional set and Suzy Kolber will conduct interviews with draftees.

ESPN RadioESPN Radio will broadcast the NFL Draft live on Thursday, May 8, at 7 p.m. from Radio City Music Hall with host Dari Nowkhah, joined by analysts Louis Riddick and Mark Schlereth and ESPN.com senior NFL writer John Clayton. The group will interview draftees and team personnel. At 11:30 p.m., Freddie Coleman will host a post-first round show, joined by ESPN Insider Adam Caplan. The Draft on ESPN Radio will resume Friday, May 9, with Nowkhah, analysts Riddick and Schlereth and Clayton. Kevin Winter will host that night’s post-draft coverage at 11 p.m., joined by Caplan.

In addition to the live broadcast of Thursday’s first round, ESPN Radio will present the NFL Draft Fancast on ESPNRadio.com. Listeners will have the opportunity to call and tweet at @espnradio with their predictions of and reactions to all first-round picks. Coleman and ESPN college football analyst Danny Kanell will host the NFL Draft Fancast beginning at 8 p.m.

ESPN InternationalESPN International will offer television coverage of the NFL Draft to more than 31 million households in 41 countries and territories throughout Latin America, Brazil, the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, and Canada (on TSN). Round 1 will also be simulcast to eight countries in Northern Latin America via the ESPN Play broadband offering. Spanish language coverage through ESPN.com in Latin America includes reporter Carlos Nava with Stanford linebacker and draft prospect Shayne Skov in Guadalajara, Mexico (Skov’s hometown), offering their perspectives throughout the draft.

ESPNUESPNU, ESPN’s 24-hour college sports network, will offer draft-related coverage through the lens of the college fan. Leading into the 2014 NFL Draft, ESPNU will re-air notable college football games with some of this year’s top prospects:

Following each draft day, ESPNU Draft Recap and SportsCenterU shows analyze the draft from college teams’ perspectives with a focus on how top programs will replace former players who are headed to the NFL. Schedule:

Thu, May 8, at 11:30 p.m. – ESPNU Draft Recap: Day 1

Fri, May 9, at 11 p.m. – ESPNU Draft Recap: Day 2

Sun, May 11, at 12 a.m. – SportsCenterU

E:60ESPN’s prime-time newsmagazine devotes an entire hour to draft and NFL-themed stories (May 6 at 8 p.m. on ESPN). Features include a profile of Tank Johnson, the former NFL star whose gun incidents led to his arrest and suspension from the league, but is now a speaker at the Rookie Symposium. In “The Art of Waiting,” NFL players tell humorous and behind-the-scenes stories of what it’s like to wait for their name to be called on Draft Day. There will also be updated profiles of the Washington Redskins’ big off-season acquisition, DeSean Jackson, and reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year, Eddie Lacy of the Green Bay Packers.

ESPN.comAnchored by its NFL Draft Central landing page, ESPN.com will provide unprecedented, wall-to-wall coverage of the draft, prominently featuring all 32 NFL Nation team reporters as well as NFL senior writer John Clayton and NFL columnists Ashley Fox and Jeffri Chadiha. During the three-day draft, ESPN.com will provide:

DraftCast and Draft Tracker, offering pick-by-pick data and analysis from Scouts Inc. on all 256 prospects in real time;

The 32 NFL Nation reporters will offer instant reaction on first-, second- and third-round picks, a thumbs up/thumbs down for all picks (rounds 1-3), and team-specific analysis all three days of the draft, including comprehensive team wrap-ups; and

Scribble chats live from Radio City, allowing users to interact with ESPN.com writers, reporters and other draft experts.

Additionally, the 2014 NFL Draft section will serve as the hub for all coverage. Among the pre-draft highlights:

Complete 2014 player rankings, including by player, school and position.

espnWespnW contributor Jane McManus will provide pre-draft and in-draft coverage, including player features and blogs.

ESPN InsiderESPN Insider members will experience complete and premium access to the 2014 NFL Draft covered from every angle. Comprehensive coverage leading up to and throughout all three days of the draft includes analysis and insight from experts Mel Kiper Jr., Todd McShay, Bill Polian, Ron Jaworski, Adam Schefter, Mike Sando, Louis Riddick, Mark Dominik, Scouts Inc. and others, including several mock drafts from Kiper and McShay. At the conclusion of the NFL Draft, Kiper will release his annual Draft Grades, a must read for fans anticipating the prospects of their teams’ newest additions. McShay will also weigh in with his take on the best individual picks and overall classes of 2014, and look ahead to the next draft season with his 2015 Mock Draft on Wednesday, May 14. Additional Insider-only features and tools include:

Kiper’s “Draft Report” – previously only available in his annual “Draft Report”, Kiper’s insights are available exclusively on Insider, including his top 100 prospects heading into the draft and his thoughts on the biggest draft needs for all 32 NFL teams;

Gruden’s QB Camp – articles featuring the coach’s thoughts on this year’s most compelling quarterback prospects, plus excerpts from his interviews with each;

Kiper and McShay’s prospect rankings – covering the top players by positions and comparing them to prospects of past years who have already made their way to the NFL; and

MobileESPN will give fans on-the-go access to draft-related news and information including a draft section on the ESPN mobile web complete with video, player profiles, analysis and breaking news. Fans will also be able to sign up for ESPN Alerts by round and by college or NFL team. Alerts are available in the ScoreCenter app and via SMS on most major carriers.

ESPN3 and WatchESPNESPN3 will offer replays of NFL Pro Days featuring several of the top prospects, including Johnny Manziel and Sammy Watkins (Clemson Pro Day). Other Pro Days include Florida State, Missouri, Stanford and Georgia Tech. Additionally, live coverage of the NFL Draft on ESPN will be accessible via WatchESPN online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and through ESPN on Xbox LIVE to Gold members, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and Roku for fans who receive ESPN’s linear networks as part of their video subscription from an affiliate provider.

ESPN The MagazineESPN The Magazine’s NFL Draft issue, on newsstands May 2, features a cover story on Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. Since his subpar pro day, his critics have only grown louder. But so has his inner voice, reminding him of the strength it took to get to this point. In “Never in Doubt,” The Mag’s Tim Keown takes a look at the role Bridgewater’s upbringing played in his demeanor and the role socioeconomics play in becoming an NFL QB. Additional issue highlights:

A Derek Carr feature, “Sins of the Brother,” The same toughness question that haunted David Carr during his NFL career could chase younger sibling Derek out of the first round. By Seth Wickersham

A Blake Bortles profile, “Boy, He Escalated Quickly” that outlines four undisputable reasons the Central Florida QB is more likely bound for Canton than bound to disappoint. By Peter Keating

ESPN Marketing and Social MediaESPN’s 2014 NFL Draft spot, which started airing this week and is set to John Newman’s hit single “Try”, includes several top prospects in this year’s class – South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, quarterbacks Johnny Manziel (Texas A&M), Blake Bortles (Central Florida) and Teddy Bridgewater (Louisville) and Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins. Additional NFL Draft initiatives include: